The Cultural Enablers and Barriers of AI Adoption In Strategic Marketing Decision-Making: From Resistance to Transformation

Purpose: This research examines how cultural factors act as both enablers and barriers in the ‎adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) for strategic marketing decision-making, shaping the ‎journey from organizational resistance to transformative integration. ‎ Method/approach: Drawing from secondary qualitative data and thematic approach to ‎analysis, the study verifies how organizational culture characteristics such as innovation, risk-‎openness, collaboration, and flexibility align with an organization's preparedness for change in ‎determining adoption outcomes. ‎ Results: The research demonstrates that enablers of culture promote the uptake, but the ‎blockers are driven by hierarchical working cultures, the needs of the labour market, and low ‎technical capability. Change readiness has emerged as a key driver to bridge this gap by ‎converting cultural advantage into adoption. The discourse is within Schein's Organizational ‎Culture Theory and Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation, both of which combined provide the ‎frame of reference required in examining the Saudi case. Other larger projects like those ‎undertaken by SDAIA and HUMAIN under Vision 2030 suggest the context within which ‎such processes occur. ‎ Conclusions: This research contributes to the literature by taking the use of culture and ‎readiness models for AI adoption further into the Middle Eastern setting and offering ‎practical insights for marketing managers to roll out AI more organically‎.